


Echo

by buryme



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A LOT of Angst, All the time, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Levi hates everything, Levi is an Asshole, Multi, You'll get it eventually, a lot of fluff, angst and confUsion but please bear with me, armin and marco were unsettlingly close before, confusing as shit let me tell you, eren is lonely, everything that happens is literally her fault, he actually hates fantasy because we needed an antagonist, levi hates everything did i already put that, mikasa is somewhat oblivious, well he does
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:52:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buryme/pseuds/buryme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finding an unusually cheap but high-quality house for sale, Eren Jaeger doesn't understand why no one seems to want it. Thinking it might be some cliché haunting, his sister Mikasa lets him go to check out the old place alone. Seeing nothing there, Eren decides the place isn't too bad and takes the previous owner up on their offer. But, after a while of living there alone, he slowly finds out exactly why the place was so disliked, and worse yet, if he tells Mikasa about the boy in the mirror and his precious little secret, it could permanently damage his whole family. Bloodlines can be deadly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive me, this is just something I'm working on off to the side, so it won't be my best writing. I'm more concerned with getting it over with than working on how well it's written.

"I'm going to go see if it's any good."

'It's so cheap, it's concerning.. Even though it looks so nice on the outside. If you get killed when the roof caves in or something, I'm gonna resurrect you and kill you a second time.'

Before the brunette could respond, the line cut off. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to his sister's threat, but he did know that she was kidding.

Hopefully. 

This was Eren Jaeger. All anyone needed to know about him was his impulsiveness. He'd often dive into situations without thinking, usually regretting it afterwards. His adoptive sister, Mikasa Ackerman, was the one who tried to keep him levelheaded.

However, it didn't often work. So when the both of them graduated high school, they decided to separate. Mikasa, of course, agreed to help Eren pay for part of his place, as she already held a steady job with a decent income.

She wasn't fond at all of the place her brother had picked out. It was a nice place, of course, but it was old. Not ancient, but not particularly new, either. Eren liked it a lot, though, and she wasn't going to try and antagonize him. 

The place also happened to be extremely cheap, despite how fancy it looked on the outside. Of course Mikasa was suspicious. She knew that was the main reason Eren had chosen the place, even though she anticipated that it was most likely falling apart inside. 

That's where he was going now, to take a look on the inside. 

Another reason Mikasa worried was because Eren was a completely reckless driver, and he was going alone. Although, he did manage to at least get to the place in one piece. 

Getting out of the car, Eren stared at the house again, hands on his hips. It was a generally big place, two stories. Looked like it was in amazing shape on the outside, hardly any cracks in the walls, windows were in good condition. 

But the aura of the area screamed loneliness, something Eren could place easily. He walked up to the door and pulled a key from under the doormat, opening the door and hesitantly stepping inside. 

The moment he stepped in, a gust of cool air blowed his hair from his face, the feeling actually somewhat comforting. 

Even the inside was near perfect. 

He didn't stay for long, he walked around a little bit, exploring. However, every time he walked past what would be the master bedroom, he was nearly overwhelmed with that feeling of loneliness. 

Eventually, he entered that bedroom, found it to be a bit dark on the inside, but nothing a few lamps wouldn't fix. Then, Eren stepped into the bathroom that was connected to the room. That was definitely where the loneliness was coming from, and he couldn't place why, or how. 

Although, in a world where things like telekinesis and black magic weren't just fantasy, (yet Eren was unfamiliar with) but were still shunned upon, this wasn't a huge thing. It was actually something he grew up with, this little ability that didn't have a name. 

The brunette found himself strangely attracted to the mirror, like there was something more to it than met the eye. He wasn't able to keep his eyes on it for long, though, and turned his back to it after a moment. That feeling really was overwhelming, so he decided to explore a little bit more. 

After doing so, he stood in what would be the master bedroom, hands on his hips. Eren simply looked around the room again, before mumbling something incoherent to himself and pulling out his phone, dialing his sister. 

'Well?' 

He smiled at her impatient tone, she'd obviously been waiting for his answer since he put down the phone the first time. 

"Yes, I've made my decision. Mikasa, it's nearly perfect on the inside, too, I don't understand why it's listed at such a low price. I'm taking this offer, okay? This is the one I want."

A satisfied 'hm,' from the other end of the line, and again, she hung up without another word. 

As Eren exited the house and got back into his car, he took one more glance at the house.

He could have sworn that lonely feeling had subsided just a little bit, and that a small amount of excitement had replaced what had disappeared.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm.

A few weeks later, here they were. 

Eren and Mikasa, standing back in front of that house, both smiling, even if Mikasa would deny that she'd actually grown on the place. Both holding boxes, too. 

Of course, the brunette's sister was holding four more than he was, and for a moment, as he followed her inside, all he could do was stare in amazement. Or was that envy? Either way, he was a bit pissed, but nothing too bad. 

This went on for about an hour, just carrying boxes and furniture into the house together. After that, they didn't stop to take a break, they immediately began to unpack Eren's things. 

Mikasa worked on the kitchen, while her brother worked on his room and the bathroom connected to it. Yes, Eren had chosen to be back in the two rooms that gave him the most uneasiness, if you'd call it that. 

There wasn't as much junk to throw around as the brunette had anticipated, there was a drawer on the nightstand beside his bed that held his miscellaneous things, a lamp, a desk in the corner. He made his bed pretty quickly (it looked pretty bad, though), and went back into the bathroom, again, finding himself staring into that mirror. 

Only, when he did, this time, he felt like he was staring someone in the eye. It wasn't a strong feeling at all, but it was undeniable. That feeling that something's definitely there, but you couldn't figure out where? Exactly what Eren was experiencing right then. 

He was startled by that feeling, and it took him a while to actually tear his gaze away from his own reflection. He went back to working on putting everything away, and left the bedroom as soon as he finished. 

He and Mikasa sat around a bit after that, taking their little break, until she decided that it'd gotten late and was about time they left. They'd decided on having Eren stay with her for the night, until he was fully set up in the little house. 

Before leaving, Eren went back to the bedroom and glanced into the bathroom, where he could have sworn he saw another person for a split second. Rather, a bit of blonde hair that seemed to duck or collapse down out of sight. 

Shaking his head as he walked back out, the brunette refused to mention any of it to Mikasa, eventually leaving with her. 

Back in that house, in the bathroom of a mirrored-dimension, a boy lay on the floor, hardly breathing at all. His blonde hair fell over his eyes, but you could just see the ghost of a smile on his face. 

'He saw me.'


	3. The Boy in the Mirror.

Eren never did see that little flash of blonde hair again for two full weeks, and by that time he was completely settled. Well, as settled as an immature 18-year-old boy could get. 

For now, Mikasa was helping support him, because they shared a bank account. Of course, none of this was permanent. Eren knew he had a limit as to how much money he could take off that account, since it technically did belong to his sister. 

Either way, he seemed to be doing alright. Nothing extraordinary happened again the past two weeks, just the normal procrastination on Eren's part when it came to unpacking the rest of the kitchen. 

That, or somehow, he hadn't noticed just how strong his little fascination with the bathroom mirror had become. He often found himself staring into it, with the feeling that he was either looking back at someone, or watching them break down right in front of him. 

A majority of the time, he wouldn't even remember it happened. 

If he wasn't working, making some half-assed attempt to unpack, or just flopping around on the floor (y'know, whatever teenagers do in their new houses), he was staring into that God-forsaken mirror like his life was on the line. 

This time, it turned out to be different. Not entirely, as he was gazing into oblivion, zoned out in front of that mirror like the rest of the time he'd spent in that house. 

No, this time was different. And Eren felt that right away. 

The countertop. The countertop was shaking, not violently, it might as well have been unnoticeable, unless you were honesty looking, waiting for something like this to happen. 

The brunette's eyes widened just slightly, his grip on the sink tightening a little. Never once did he tear his gaze away from his own reflection, even as the faint rumbling increased. His breathing was picking up fairly quickly, too, and at the point where the walls were almost vibrating, the mirror swinging dangerously, he'd actually begun holding his breath. 

Until a wave of pure energy coursed through him, leaving him gasping for air, he'd stayed completely still, eyes open wide, staring blankly. A loud 'pop' filled the room, and then everything returned to normal. 

Almost everything. 

When he refocused, realizing he was staring up at the ceiling, he didn't expect anything to have changed when he looked back into that mirror. 

Could he even call it a mirror anymore? His reflection was almost gone, appearing more like looking through a window, or a sliding glass door. Why? Because there, more clearly than his own reflection, was another person staring right back at him, eyes as wide as his own. 

Eren, being the impulsive idiot that he was, immediately ran out of the room, throwing things left and right in search of one thing in particular, something that would be able to shatter the thing. After running back in, (yes, the boy in the mirror was still there, looking as confused and terrified as the brunette) he raised the hammer up, muttering something under his breath. 

"Unbelievable," was the only thing he was able to manage, before the blonde boy, in complete panic, pounded both his palms against the glass, shaking the mirror just slightly. 

"Stop it, stop it! Wait, okay? Calm down!" His voice was a little higher-pitched than most guys around his age, and it surprised Eren how clear it was, despite supposedly being behind glass. Slowly, hesitantly, he lowered his little weapon. 

"Please, drop it." The boy seemed a little calmer now, and Eren did as he was told, the metal clang signifying that it was out of his hand completely. 

"Thank you," the stranger whispered, and stepped back, away from the mirror. It was then that the brunette decided to actually look at him, to take in his features. 

The boy in the mirror had bright, almost shocking blue eyes, and neat blonde hair to go with it. He had a bit of a peculiar haircut, cut at about chin-length, completely straight, with bangs that were a little less even, cut just above the eyebrow. 

He wore a plain, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of high-waisted shorts, (something Eren hadn't ever seen a man wear) and that was about all he could tell.  
Snapping out of his little daze, Eren immediately started throwing different questions at the boy, not quite giving him much of an opportunity to answer any of them. 

"Who are you? Where did you come from? What the hell are you? Has this been a window? Is this a window? A door, maybe? Who are you?" The boy sighed, a tiny little smile etching its way onto his pale face, waiting for the brunette to run out of questions. 

"My name is Armin Arlert," he said, once Eren had fallen silent. "I'm just as human as you are. You, and.. And you can see me, can't you..?" Apparently, he'd just now realized this. "Oh my God, you can see me! Ha, it worked!" Armin's little smile grew, and he seemed to be bouncing on his heels in excitement. 

"Are you a ghost..?" Eren was nearly speechless, his gaze transfixed to the boy in front of him, well, the boy who seemingly stood in his place. Armin shook his head, his eyes bright with energy. 

"No, I'm not a ghost, I told you. I'm just as human as you are. Uh, long story short, I got myself into a bad place a long time ago, and...well, I've been here ever since. But, I can't tell you about that now. I want to know your name." As he finished, the blonde tilted his head a little bit, an action that Eren actually found quite cute. 

"..Eren. Eren Jaeger." For once, the brunette, known for his being restless, was completely still, shocked. 

"You're German, aren't you?" Armin still stared at him, his gaze a little bit unsettling, but in a good way, somehow. 

"Uh, yeah. I am. How'd you..?" Poor Eren stood there, blinking, as the blonde boy responded. 

"I can tell. First of all, your last name. Not that difficult. And, your general appearance...I've met quite a lot who have those stunning green eyes." The brunette flushed a bit at the compliment, suddenly able to rip his gaze away from the mirror, but of course, not for long. 

"So, Eren, this is about the time where I.. Run out of time, unfortunately, but.." Armin's smile faltered a bit, and Eren suddenly realized how utterly exhausted the blonde looked. 

"Wait a second--" The brunette started, taking a small, shaky step towards the mirror. 

"I'll get back to you," Armin interrupted, waving his hand. "Nice to meet you, Eren Jaeger." And in that moment, just as quickly as he'd appeared, Eren blinked once, and he was gone. 

'One more thing, Eren?' The boy's voice seemed to echo off the walls now, coming from everywhere at once. Eren couldn't tell if he was imagining it or not. 

'You can't tell anyone about me.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, listening to You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison helped me carry on through with finishing this chapter. Whoopee.


	4. Unknown.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This episode on: Eren Is Confused

"..Has a lot of bad connections. They used to.. Are you listening to me? ..Eren!" 

"..Wha-?" The brunette blinked himself back to reality, realizing he'd been staring blankly at a the computer screen, where the slightly grainy image of his sister sat glaring at him. 

"Why do you keep blanking out? Is something the matter? You know you can--"

Eren cut her off, waving his hand. "No, I'm fine," he replied curtly. "I'm just tired.. It's kind of late." 

"..It's 7:30, Eren." She tilted her head on the other end of the line, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"And I'm tired," the brunette repeated, sighing frustratedly. He tapped his fingers on the little table he sat at in the living room while watching Mikasa cover her face with her hand. 

"Alright, go to bed. Goodnight, Eren," she mumbled, and without letting him respond, she hung up. 

As Eren shut his computer, he started staring blankly at the tv, which wasn't on. It had been about two days since his encounter with the being in the mirror. He hadn't seen the boy since, and he was both confused and possibly even concerned. 

And it didn't help much that, ever since that night, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about that feeling of energy going through him, the way it seemed like he was being drained for a moment..

As soon as Mikasa had called him to ask him how he was doing, he'd wanted to blurt everything to her. But somehow, the way Armin had told him to keep quiet about it haunted him. 

His words would have sounded threatening, if it weren't for the tone he used. It seemed like he had used his last little burst of energy to get that out—and it sounded so strained, it was almost like he was begging for Eren not to tell. 

He shook his head, standing up slowly. He really did feel tired now, like his energy had just evaporated. Almost the same way he felt when..

A couple minutes later he found himself standing in the doorway of the bathroom connected to his room, leaning against the frame calmly, while the blonde boy stared back at him. Eren kept a straight face, and the boy in the mirror had this sly little smile on his face. 

"So you really can tell when I'm here, can't you? I didn't think you'd figure it out so soon." Armin's little grin widened, his arms crossed the same way Eren's were. 

"The hell's wrong with you? What, does your very existence drain the life out of everything around you?" Eren's eyebrows furrowed, he seemed mildly pissed off—but perhaps too tired to really do much but stand there and glare. 

"Quite frankly, yes. I'm sorry.. You won't feel it as much if I keep doing it. I've been doing this for a long time, y'know. Trying to gather enough energy to hold a form that other people can see in a mirror dimension. You're the first person who's ever seen me here." As the blonde spoke, he seemed to be rocking back and forth, and the little smile had been wiped off his face in a split second. He now seemed nervous about something, or at least upset. 

"I.. Uh.. It's okay, I guess? Um, Armin, right? What happened to you?"

Armin's only response was to reach up and press his fingertips to his forehead, which was hidden by his bangs. Suddenly, Eren felt a surge of energy and, beyond that somewhere, emotion. This time, it was a bit painful. He cringed, and when he looked back, the blonde boy was gone again. He sighed in frustration, turning around to exit. 

'Just because you're curious, it doesn't mean you need to know. That's another story for another time.' Again, that echoing. Eren cursed under his breath. 

The moment he took another step out, a loud bang startled him into looking back, as if someone had slammed their arm on the wall. When he looked back, the blonde boy was there for just a moment, glaring with such intensity that even Eren couldn't match. 

Armin looked completely furious, and as the brunette stood there in awe, every lightbulb in the house suddenly popped, leaving his surroundings pitch black.

As Eren felt his way through his bedroom, he could only think about the image of the mirror he'd seen in that second. Everything was pitch black except the blonde boy, and he had his hand outstretched. 

As furious as the blonde had looked in that second, his position said that he was terrified. 

Just like the way he spoke to Eren the first time they met. 

A lot of things confused Eren throughout his life, but none, he decided, had ever confused him as much as he was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY I'M PRETTY DEAD INSIDE BUT I HAD A SUDDEN SURGE OF INSPIRATION TODAY SO HERE ???


End file.
